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Barbuda 1922-1923 KGV Overprinted Stamps

Although the stamps of both Antigua and Leeward Islands were valid for use in Barbuda, an Order in Council on 22nd June 1922 approved a separate issue. This was a retrospective act since the stamps had already been printed. The stamps of the current Leeward Islands design were used, overprinted by De La Rue in large sans serif capitals with BARBUDA, and were probably produced to generate revenue from philatelic sales. Although regarded as a somewhat dubious issue when released, the passage of time has lent it subsequent respectability. The printings were made entirely separately from those of Leeward Islands.

The 6d value represented the first use of the new Leewards Islands duty plate for this value, made in 1921. It featured double marginal rules on the printed sheet.

Whilst the small printings of the three highest values make these amongst the scarcer high values of the Imperium issues, nearly half the total was sold to dealers in London. For each of these three values no more than 66 plate number copies can exist.

The 1d and 2d value exist with watermark reversed, the 21/2d with watermark inverted (all from the 1922 printing).

The twenty nine sheets of the 3d printing of February 1923 was made on the old Multiple Crown CA paper, after the introduction of the new Multiple Script CA watermark paper. This was probably done to use up the small remaining quantity of the Multiple Crown CA paper.

Each of the three values of the February 1923 printing differs significantly in shade from that of the 1922 issue.